Storylines

Over the past near-century, Academy Award categories have come and gone. In the silent film era there was an award for Best Title Writing. You know, the written cards that summarized the “dialogue”? Oscar worthy. This year’s 96th Academy Awards broadcast saw Oscars handed out in a whopping 23 different categories, from the big wins like Best Picture, to awards for behind-the-scenes expertise in costuming and score. But one group of people thinks there should be yet another added to that list: best stunts. Stunt actors are real life action heroes behind the biggest movies, but it’s unlikely we know their names and faces, at least not if they’re doing their jobs right. They risk life and limb to bring films to life. The chariot race in Ben-Hur? The entire Fast and Furious franchise? None of them would be possible without stunt coordinators and performers. On this week's Storylines, Joan Webber tells the story of a decades-long effort to get stunt workers their Oscar due.Produced by Joan Webber. Story editing by Julia Pagel.  This documentary first aired on Storylines back in April of 2024.Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

The Chinook salmon of the Yukon River are on the brink of extinction. This cultural keystone species has  the longest salmon migration in the world, up to 3,200 kilometres. But warming waters caused by climate change, along with other stresses, have decimated their numbers, forcing a seven-year fishing ban. For Indigenous communities in the region, this is not only an environmental tragedy but also a loss for their culture. In her documentary Ghosts in Their Nets, Laura Lynch takes us to Whitehorse, Yukon, where she meets First Nations leaders and advocates who are leading the charge to protect the species and demanding that the irreplaceable Chinook salmon be better taken care of. The doc was produced by Laura Lynch and  Rachel Sanders, with help from Molly Segal, Mathias Wolfsohn, Catherine Rolfsen and Joan Webber with the CBC Audio Documentary Unit / The doc originally aired on What on Earth. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In July 2024, seven fishermen from around New-Wes-Valley, Newfoundland set out on their fishing boat in search of turbot.  While at sea that day a fire broke out near the engine room, before long the bunkroom was full of smoke. The seven sailors had no choice but to abandon ship and before long they were  sitting in a small life-raft. What followed was a 52-hour ordeal that tested not just their will to survive, but the bonds between them. The situation could not have been more dire, two of the men couldn’t swim, supplies were dwindling and a thick fog hampered rescue efforts.  In this documentary, 52 Hours Lost at Sea, find out what it was like to spend more than two days adrift in the North Atlantic. Produced by Mary-Catherine McIntosh and the Audio documentary unit / the doc originally aired on The Current. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit 

The stories of undocumented people living in the United States are well known, especially since President Donald Trump began a major immigration crackdown. However, there is also a sizable population of undocumented people in Canada. According to the federal government, there could be as many as 500,000 people living here without legal status. Many of them work in jobs that make them like "ghosts" in our society, such as farmwork, cleaning homes, or working late shifts in grocery stores.In this episode of Storylines, a documentary by Lyndsay Duncombe called, Living in the Shadows, that brings us the stories of people living in Canada without legal status. Many of them live in fear of deportation and without access to healthcare. Her documentary reveals the human impact of living in the shadows of Canadian society.Undocumented was produced by Lyndsay Duncombe with help from Liz Hoath and Marnie Luke / originally aired on The Current. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Early one August morning, the cameras outside Jas Arora's house in Abbotsford, B.C., recorded someone throwing glass bottles at his home. When Jas stepped outside to investigate, he found broken glass and smelled gasoline. He then got a call from a man speaking Punjabi, demanding millions of dollars.Jas is among many South Asian Canadians targeted by people who, the RCMP says, have connections to Indian gangs and the Indian government. They demand millions of dollars over the phone, and have targeted both homes and businesses.  Many of the victims are scared to report what is happening to the police. This week on Storylines is CBC journalist Sohrab Sandhu’s documentary Our House. His doc will delve into the threats and extortion targeting members of the South Asian community in Canada, and what Canadian law enforcement is trying to do about it. Produced by Sohrab Sandhu with help from Liz Hoath / originally aired on The CurrentStorylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

A rogue wave is defined as being at least 2.2 times as high as the average waves which have come before. They are described as coming out of nowhere and their consequences can be deadly. In her documentary, The Wave, Joan Webber chronicles swimmers struck by these potentially deadly maritime phenomena. Though rogue waves themselves are not infrequent, it's considered rare that a person is hit by one. But rare .… is not never.We also bring you another story about the sea titled, When I Came to Canada. It’s Hon Lou’s harrowing account of fleeing Vietnam by boat as a child following the end of the Vietnam war. The Wave was produced by Joan Webber with help from Liz Hoath and originally aired on The Current. When I Came to Canada first aired on Living Out Loud and was produced by Steve Wadhams.Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In Vancouver's Lower Mainland, a dealer known only as "Jay" sold drugs to teens, making drop-offs right next to their high schools and homes, offering free "goodie bags" of Xanax and other drugs. When Julie Nystrom discovered her 17-year-old daughter was hooked on counterfeit pills from Jay, she went to the police. The cops told her that they needed names, details, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and hired a private investigator. On this episode of Storylines, the documentary Everybody Loves Jay, which tells the story about the lengths one mother went to protect her daughter from a drug dealer.Produced by Enza Uda and Joan Webber / originally aired on The Current. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In an empty parking lot somewhere in northern California, Andrew Song and Luke Iseman inflate a balloon the size of a small car, full of sulfur dioxide. They will then launch the balloon high up into the stratosphere where it will pop, releasing its sulfur dioxide contents. Song and Iseman are the co-founders of Make Sunsets, a geoengineering startup that sells cooling credits. For a price, you can purchase a bit of the sulfur dioxide they’re pumping into these balloons and launching into the stratosphere, with the belief it will offset the warming effects of CO2. Because if you send enough sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere --- we’re talking a million tonnes a year --- it’ll significantly cool our warming planet. But the idea raises scores of complicated scientific and moral dilemmas. In this documentary, John Chipman goes to California to learn about the potential risks and benefits of solar geoengineering. Reported and produced by John Chipman, with assistance from Joan Webber and Catherine Rolfsen. Mixed by Michelle Parise . It originally aired on What on Earth. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Despite being our national sport, and that most Canadians agree it should be for everyone, hockey remains surprisingly exclusive, especially when it comes to ice time. For some, the barriers to access the game are significant, and the sport can feel unwelcoming. In his documentary, “Hockey for All,” CBC journalist Douglas Gelevan uncovers how the complex system of ice time allocation often favours elite male players, while pushing others to the margins. Reported by Douglas Gelevan and produced by Michelle Parise / originally aired on The Current

Sethu Ramaswamy grew up in a cultured Indian family and it rubbed off on her. She loved books and ideas. By the age of 10 Sethu had read all of Charles Dickens’ novels, but her emerging interest in books and ideas would have to be put on hold. When she was the same age, she was forced to leave school, get married, and become a mother at 15. As an adult, she raised a family and for the most part, lived in the shadow of her husband — who was a successful journalist in India. But that wasn’t the end of her story. When she was 80-years-old a new chapter in her life opened up. She wrote a book called Autobiography of an Unknown Indian Woman, and it was met with fanfare and acclaim in India. It told the story of a child bride whose husband was both her true love and her captor. On this week’s episode, Sarmish Subramanian brings us the story of her remarkable grandmother. Produced by Sarmishta Subramanian and story edited by Karen Levine. The doc originally aired on The Sunday Edition in 2009. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Every day, in Hamburg, Germany, Annette Venebrügge wakes up to a single word emailed from her friend Tina Oehmsen-Clark in Toronto. And every evening, she sends one back. No sentences, no stories — just one carefully chosen word, and always in German. What started as a simple pandemic project between two art school friends has grown into an archive of over 3,000 words.In her documentary "One Word," CBC producer Alisa Siegel explores how this linguistic game has transformed a friendship one word at a time. The game is part time capsule, part diary and part art project. Because as Annette says, each word makes her a witness to her friend's existence.Produced by Alisa Siegel and story edited by Joan Webber / originally aired on The Current. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit 

In Washington state, a law known as Ricky’s Law, allows authorities to force people with addiction into treatment. The law is named after Ricky Garcia, whose struggles with drugs and alcohol inspired him and his friend Lauren Davis to push for change.From emergency room visits to suicide attempts, Davis watched as Garcia went through more than 75 emergency visits in just two years. Davis helped spearhead the state's involuntary treatment law and later went on to become a state lawmaker.But does forcing someone into treatment actually work?CBC journalist Julia Wong went to Washington state to find out how the law has been working in practice. In her documentary, Ricky's Law, she speaks to doctors and pa tients who've been through this system. It's a timely conversation as provinces in Canada are considering similar laws.Plus, a look at how New Brunswick ended up making a two-seater sports car in the 1970s called the Bricklin SV-1.Reported by Julia Wong. Produced by Kory Siegers and Liz Hoath / Originally aired on The Current.Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

They needed certainty. They got chaos. For over a decade, countless people from at least five different countries put their trust in a company offering prenatal paternity tests. It promised clients “99.9% accuracy” — but then routinely, identified the wrong biological fathers.In the six-part investigative podcast Uncover: Bad Results from CBC News, journalists Rachel Houlihan and Jorge Barrera track down the people whose lives were torn apart by these bad results, and reveal the story behind the company that continues to stand by its testing today. This week on Storylines, the first episode of Uncover: Bad Results.  In 2015, a 20-something American named John learns he might be a father. A prenatal paternity test confirms it, and he quickly pivots from college student to family man. But eight months into the baby’s life, a second test reveals John is not the father, shattering his new reality. More episodes of Bad Results available at: https://lnk.to/R7TfV6hP Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

On this week’s show, an investigation into land, money and power that has gripped the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan. For decades, a small group of band members has been leasing huge swaths of land owned by the community and personally pocketing millions in rental fees When a new band council decided to fix the issue, there was a pushback that included threats and confrontations with farmers. In his documentary, Land of Promise, investigative journalist Geoff Leo traces this complex story back to 1992. That’s when federal and provincial governments laid the groundwork for this situation with a land deal they thought would correct an injustice done to First Nations — which lead instead to accusations of injustice amongst band members themselves.Reported by Geoff Leo, produced by Joan Webber and story edited by Liz Hoath. The documentary originally aired on The Current. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

This week on Storylines, the story of Vince Carter, the Toronto Raptors legend who transformed basketball in Canada. From the high of “Vinsanity” to the low of his bitter departure from The Raptors, Carter’s career left a permanent mark on Canadian sports fans. Carter’s story is told by Adrian Ma, a Toronto journalist and professor. As a kid growing up in Ancaster, Ontario, Adrian spent hours shooting hoops at the local schoolyard imagining he was Carter. Speaking with fans, former players and cultural commentators, Ma revisits the rise of the Toronto Raptors and how Carter inspired a new generation of Canadian basketball fans. Reported and produced by Adrian Ma and edited and mixed by Michelle Parise. This documentary originally aired on The Sunday Magazine.Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

For 28 days after her husband’s death, poet Molly Peacock woke up and cried. It was, in her words, a “full moon cycle" of tears.Then, on the 29th day, the tears subsided. The feelings that followed surprised her, they were of a wider spectrum than she expected — she likened it to a “widow’s crayon box”.In the documentary What Can a Widow Be?, Molly takes us with her on her journey as a widow. She discovered the cliché of the widow — the perpetual mourner — does not tell the full story. Being a widow, she discovered, is full of emotions she never saw coming, from hysterical yelling to moments of joy sitting in bed alone in the morning. As she grieved, she also wrote a collection of poems called, The Widow’s Crayon Box that she read excerpts from in the documentary. Produced by Alisa Siegel and edited by Liz Hoath / originally aired on The Current.The Widow’s Crayon Box by Molly Peacock. Copyright (c) 2024 by Molly Peacock. With permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

This week on Storylines, the voices of Canadian World War One soldiers, sharing their stories of the front lines. You’ll hear these veterans talk about poison gas attacks, shellfire, the mud, the air war, and even the food.   The stories come from interviews with World War One veterans done for the CBC program Flanders Fields which first aired on November 11, 1964. Also, a story from Montreal about a century-old Catholic church that faced a dilemma over what to do with its bells.After the bell tower was damaged, the church faced the prospect of losing bells that had rung out for generations during worship services, weddings, and funerals. Instead, the choir director at Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus found a way to preserve them, ensuring they will continue to resonate with the congregation and community for years to come.Produced and reported by Simon Nakonechny and originally aired on The Sunday Magazine. Hear the Soldiers of WW1 Speak was produced by Craig DessonStorylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In 2013, American psychologist James Hardt made a promise to Indigenous kids in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He said his brainwave training would transform their lives by increasing IQ, curing mental health issues and potentially giving them superpowers like levitation. Perhaps the most surprising thing — he convinced the Prince Albert School Board and the research ethics board at the University of Regina — to approve this proposal, allowing him to experiment on these children.   On this week’s Storylines, investigative journalist Geoff Leo uncovers the disturbing details of what went on during this brainwave training that targeted vulnerable children.Reported by Geoff Leo and produced by Joan Webber & originally aired on The Current in June 2024. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

On this week's Storylines, we start on January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was overrun by riotersA few blocks away, as the dramatic scenes unfolded, CBC journalist Katie Nicholson was confronted by a group of angry Trump supporters who heckled her and said she should get out of their country. One woman accused her of “spewing BS” and said that she and her crew should run. Ever since that day Katie has been thinking about who those people were, and what compelled them to join the crowd marching to the Capitol. Now, with the U.S. in the midst of a volatile election campaign, she also wondered if their thinking has changedSo she decided to track down the women who told her to run. It turns out the woman's name is Tracey Danka and she lives in North Carolina. Tracey invited Katie to her home to talk about what happened that day and the deepening political divide in America.In Katie’s documentary we learn surprising information about Tracey, including the fact she’s married to a Democrat.Also, the story of Robert Miniaci, a master of the lost art of projector repair. While most cinemas use digital projectors, museums and film devotees still depend on the analogue ones. That’s where Robert comes in: from his garage in Montreal he repairs projectors that are used around the world. Katie Nicholson’s doc was produced by Liz Hoath and originally aired on The Current.  The documentary on Robert Miniaci was produced by Craig Desson and Julia Pagel and originally aired last April on The Sunday Magazine. Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

Some twenty five years ago, in a small, nondescript building in downtown Tokyo, children gather to look at a suitcase displayed behind glass. They write poems and draw pictures about the suitcase because of the tragedy it represents. The suitcase came from Auschwitz. This suitcase belonged to Hana Brady, who was born in the Czech Republic, and whose life was brutally cut short by the Holocaust. She was first deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942, and then to Auschwitz in 1944 where she died at the age of 13. A Holocaust education center in Tokyo acquired the suitcase with no further information about Hana. So, its director, Fumiko Ishioka, made it her mission to find out more of Hana's story.Her search brought her to Toronto and George Brady. He is Hana’s older brother, the only member of their immediate family to survive. For him, the reappearance of the suitcase in Japan, 57 years after Hana’s death, was absolutely astonishing.  Produced by Karen Levine/originally aired in 2001 on The Sunday Edition Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit